Penn State Officials Withheld Emails

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A news organization says it has seen emails showing Penn State’s former president Graham Spanier agreed not to take allegations of sex abuse against ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to authorities but worried university officials would be “vulnerable” for failing to report it.

CNN says the emails, first reported by NBC, followed a graduate assistant’s 2001 report of seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a team locker room shower.

The emails show athletic director Tim Curley and retired vice president Gary Schultz intended to report the allegation, then reconsidered. Spanier responded that he was “supportive” of their plan, but he worried they might “become vulnerable for not having reported it.”

Sandusky was convicted this month of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys. The scandal led to the ouster of Spanier and revered coach Joe Paterno and charges against Curley and Schultz, who are accused of perjury for their grand jury testimony and failing to properly report suspected child abuse. Spanier hasn’t been charged.

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